


Too Many Truths.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Confessions, M/M, Siblings, nail polish remover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 18:07:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17627099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Michael's had a long day & all he wants to do is go to sleep. Or get drunk. But no, Max has to mess everything up, and then someone else comes knocking.





	Too Many Truths.

**Author's Note:**

> What has happened to me? These two have stolen my heart. I am so here for their love story. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

Michael really couldn’t believe it. Could he ever catch a break? Especially after the night he had. But Max had left him five voicemails. And he had sounded so distraught. So here he was, heading to Max’s in the middle of night. He just wanted to go to sleep. Or get drunk. Anything to help him forget that tonight had ever happened.  _ Fucking Alex. _ He knew the second he saw him talking to his dad, that the night would end like this. Ten years wasn’t really that long.

 

He’s just about to turn down the street to Max’s house when all of a sudden he notices the town go dark in his rear view mirror and he can feel a rumble in his truck.  _ Shit, this can’t be good.  _

 

He finally pulls up to Max’s and practically jumps out of his truck. He can hear Max from the front of the house. He decides to just walk right towards the backyard. He isn’t sure what he’s going to find. But what he does see, stops him in his tracks. 

 

_ Jesus.  _ Max is on his knees on the ground with his head in the dirt. Wracking sobs coming from his body.  _ Where the hell is Isobel when you need her? _

 

“Max,” he says gently so he doesn’t startle him. Max doesn’t move. “Max!” he says louder this time, as he grabs his shoulder, with a little extra  _ umph  _ to get Max’s attention. Max jerks and whips his head up.

 

“Michael?” Max questions. Michael nods.

 

“Yeah. C’mon let’s get inside. You have candles?” Michael asks, as he helps Max to his feet.  They make their way inside, and Michael heads straight for the pantry and then the fridge. He grabs himself and Max a beer, while he sets the nail polish remover on the counter.

 

Max comes back with some candles and a lighter and then takes a long drag of the open beer bottle.

 

Michael’s shocked. “Damn. That bad?” Michael asks, as Max finally swigs the nail polish remover.

 

“Obviously,” Max says as he gestures toward town. 

 

“I tried Isobel, too,” Max says to fill the silence as he sits down on a bar stool and grabs another nail polish remover.

 

“She was  _ making it up _ to Noah for missing dinner. I’m sure she’ll be here soon enough,” Michael says as he drinks his own beer. He’s surprised. Max had his favorite in the fridge, so they might as well drink them while the power’s out. He sees Max nodding his head.

 

“So. Wanna tell me what just happened?” Michael prompts. 

 

Max just takes another drink of the nail polish remover. “It’s like I told you guys the other night. Something isn’t right. It just all came to a head a couple minutes ago when I slammed my fists down on the ground,” Max says.

 

“I see. You get pissed off and decide to black out the whole town?” Michael quirks an eyebrow.

 

“I didn’t do this on purpose! Shit. I’m going to have to go into the station,” Max says, resigned.

 

“Until we figure out what just happened, why don’t you wait until they call,” Michael says in return. He runs his fingers through his hair as he grabs another beer. He slides one to Max and takes a long gulp of his. Really, of all the things that happened tonight, this is just the icing on top of the fucking cake. He sighs. 

 

“Michael? You okay?” Max asks him. Michael looks at him, and sees some of the color is starting to return to Max’s cheeks.  _ Good. _

 

_ “ _ Huh? Yeah,” Michael says absentmindedly. He isn’t even sure what they’re talking about. The exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him. He leans back against the kitchen counter, which he knows is the only thing keeping him standing up right. The silence is starting to stretch.  _ Seriously, where is Isobel? _ He hasn’t been alone with Max in a long time. Completely by design, but still. It’s getting awkward. 

 

“Does it have anything to do with Alex Manes?” Max asks him. Michael’s pretty sure he squeaks in surprise. He feels like the breath was just knocked out of him. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what Max even knows. 

 

“Does what have to do with Alex?” Michael asks, before he starts spiraling. 

 

“Your mood,” Max asks. 

 

“My mood?” Michael asks, because he doesn’t know how to even begin to unpack what Max means by that.

 

“Yeah. Normally if I were to call you in the middle of the night while causing a town wide electrical blackout, we’d be screaming at each other. Pretty sure I would still be in the dirt,” Max says.

 

Michael has to laugh at that. Because Max is right. Michael was on his way over to do just that, when he saw what Max looked like when he found him outside. But if the pain Max was feeling was anything close to how Michael felt, then it’s no wonder the town went dark. 

 

Michael shrugs. “So… are you going to tell me about Alex?” Max asks.

 

“No,” Michael answers. And really, isn’t that answer enough. 

 

He hears Max sigh. “I saw you two at the drive-in,” Max says. He’s not sure why Max is so interested in his life all of a sudden. Although that isn’t really fair. He’s always been interested. Michael just keeps pushing him away. 

 

“There were a lot of people at the drive-in,” Michael says, then adds, “Thought you left after we helped Isobel.”

 

“Yeah. That’s a long story,” Max says. Michael just stares at him. “I’ll get to it,” Max says. Michael nods and stays silent. 

 

When it becomes clear neither one of them is going to say anything, Max starts, “I guess I should say.. I  _ heard _ you and Alex at the drive-in.” 

 

Michael glares at him. He has no idea what Max could’ve heard. Or even why Max would care about whatever it is he  _ did  _ hear. If he’s about to get shit over the copper, he’s going to lose it. And then he’s going to leave and let Max deal with the fallout on his own. He rubs his hand down his face, preparing himself for whatever Max has to say. 

 

“What did you mean by  _ you’re still the guy looking for any excuse just to walk away?”  _ Max asks him. Michael can’t believe it. He leans back against the counter and sighs. Of all the things for Max to overhear. He doesn’t know if he’s angry or sad. Angry that a private conversation was overhead, by none other than Max. Or sad that someone may have  _ finally  _ figured out the truth about them, only a day too late. 

 

“That was a private conversation,” Michael says, finally. 

 

“Yeah. I gathered,” Max says, but he doesn’t look sorry for it. Michael shakes his head. 

 

“What happened?” Max asks once the silence drags on. 

 

Michael sighs, “Nothing that hasn’t happened before,” he answers. Because really, it’s the truth. This push and pull he has with Alex has spanned most of their lives. He can’t escape it. Because he doesn’t want too. Max looks at him with an understanding that only someone who has loved and lost could. He hates it. 

 

“I’m sorry man,” Max says. Michael shrugs. He’s really over this conversation. And he doesn’t want to betray Alex anymore than he already feels he has. 

 

“Don’t say anything please,” Michael asks him. Knowing Max would probably tell Isobel the first chance he got. Max looks at him like he’s about to start arguing when he must get a good look at Michael because he sighs and nods his head. 

 

Michael lets out a small smile. It’s really as much as he can muster at this hour. He’s just about to suggest they sleep off the rest of this night when the front door to Max’s bangs open and Isobel barges in.

 

She takes one look at the both of them, their faces dark in the candlelight. “Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Isobel asks as she walks the rest of the way into the kitchen. Michael points his beer bottle at Max. For once he’s glad the reason she’s so agitated isn’t directed at him.

 

“Max?” she questions. Michael can see she’s getting impatient. Serves her right for taking this long to get here. He’s about to say just that, when Max’s phone rings. The loud noise making all of them jump. 

 

“Evans,” Max says in his  _ cop _ voice. Michael  _ hates  _ that voice. 

 

“Yes ma’am. Be right in,” Max says and hangs up the call. “I have to go into the station. The blackout is causing some problems,” Max says.

 

“You think?!” Isobel screeches, “And you cannot leave until you tell me what happened!”

 

“I have to go. Michael can fill you in,” Max says as he runs around the kitchen grabbing his things. Michael levitates his keys in front of his face causing Max to jump.

 

“Thanks,” Max says, “I’ll call you guys when I know something.” 

 

“You better. We have to figure out how to fix this,” Isobel says. 

 

“We will,” Max says. 

 

“Are you okay to go?” Michael asks, surprising himself. Surprising everyone it seems, as Max and Isobel stare at him. He shrugs, “You were pretty messed up earlier.” 

 

“Oh.. yeah I’m fine,” Max says, “See ya.”

 

“I’ll be waiting for your call,” Isobel says as she makes herself comfortable on a bar stool and takes a swig of the rest of the nail polish remover. Michael peers at her. She looks.. not the same.

 

“And are you okay?” Michael asks her. 

 

“Yeah I’m fine. Just adrenaline, I think,” Isobel says. Michael hums in agreement as he finishes his beer. He doesn’t believe her. But he’s too tired to argue. 

 

He’s had a long day, an even longer night, and there has to be a stopping point. Too many truths have already been shared. 

 

“I’m beat. I’m leaving. And going to bed..” Michael says to her as she protests.

 

“Michael. We have to figure…” Isobel says.

 

“No. We don’t. Max can handle it tonight. The rest can wait til morning,” Michael says wearily, because he feels like he’s going to fall over. And now that he looks at Isobel, she doesn’t look much better. She must agree with him because she nods and moves to stand.

 

“Alright,” Isobel says as she sways on her feet. Michael rushes around to grab her, “Woah. Are you okay?” he asks.

 

“Yeah. Stood too fast,” Isobel says. Michael doesn’t believe this either. But this too can wait until morning. He nods at her as they clean up to leave. They finally get outside to their cars and he bids her goodnight. He loves Isobel, but he really can’t deal with her right this second. Plus, what happened is Max’s fault. 

 

He finally makes it back to the junkyard and sees his trailer. It’s pitch black but he knows where to go. He’s never been so happy to see his Airstream as he is right now. He gets inside and barely remembers getting his jeans and shirt off before he’s tumbling into his bed. Asleep before his head hits the pillow. 

 

**~~~**

 

He wakes up, startled, to the incessant knocking on his front door. He groans. He’s about ready to kill whoever is on the other side of the door. It’s probably Isobel. He glances at his phone and realizes he was only asleep for three hours. He wants to scream. He finally gets up, when the knocking doesn’t stop and pulls his jeans on as quickly as he can.

 

“Alright alright. I’m coming,” he says as he pushes the door open and freezes. It’s Alex. Standing there with a resigned look on his face, his left hand posed to knock again. He lowers his hand. Michael glares at him. 

 

“Hey,” Alex says, “Can we talk?” Michael stares at him in shock.  It takes him a second to process what is happening. 

 

“Yeah,” Michael says as he steps aside to let Alex enter his trailer. He leans against the counter so Alex can sit on the bed. Even as upset as he is at Alex, he never wants to make him uncomfortable. Alex takes the peace offering and leans his crutch against the wall. That’s when Michael takes in his appearance. He hasn’t seen Alex look this disheveled since high school. He’s in jeans and a t-shirt that has definitely seen better days. And his short hair is sticking up at all angles. It  _ would  _ be cute if Michael wasn’t so upset. 

 

“Look,” Michael starts, because he’s tired, and just wants to sleep.

 

“I’m sorry,” Alex says as he runs his fingers through his hair, “My dad…” he trails off.

 

“I saw,” Michael says. He shakes his head. This conversation is a long time coming but completely unnecessary if Alex is still going to bow to his dad’s demands. 

 

“Can we just.. start fresh? I have a lot to work through,  _ I know _ , but I’m willing to figure it out, with you, if you’ll let me,” Alex says, completely shocking Michael. It almost doesn’t feel real. It’s as close to a confession as he’s ever gotten. He’s never heard Alex say anything like this regarding his dad and what’s gone down between them. His feelings are bubbling so close to the surface, he feels like he’s about to combust. He  _ wants  _ to take the olive branch being offered, so he decides to do what he does best.

 

He grins and holds out his hand, “Michael Guerin.”

 

Alex laughs and shakes his head, but holds his own hand out in return, “Alex Manes.” 

 

“Well Alex, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. What do you say we go to sleep?” he asks, because he still feels like he could fall over any second. He sees Alex’s eyes soften and he nods his head, as he stands to get out of clothes. As he watches Alex take off his prosthetic and place it gently to the side of the small bed, he can’t help but think that he already loves this Alex so much. He takes off his jeans and crawls under the covers. 

 

“Sleep,” Alex says as he kisses Michael’s forehead. Michael smiles and relaxes into his embrace. 

 

“Stay,” he says softly to Alex. Not wanting to ruin the moment.

 

“I will,” Alex says. It’s the last thing Michael hears before he turns his head into Alex’s neck and falls asleep. 

 

**~~~**

 

This time, he’s awoken by featherlight kisses on his stomach and a warm hand around his waist.

 

“You keep waking me up like this, it’s going to become a habit,” he jokes in a sleep rough voice. Alex just smiles at him. He shakes his head as he pulls Alex up to him to kiss him. He deepens the kiss when Alex slips his tongue into his mouth. He groans and pulls Alex fully on top of him. 

 

He reaches up to grab Alex’s hair and feels Alex’s hands in his hair in return, their tounges battling for dominance as they rut against each other. A low groan escapes him at the sharp tug on his curls. He’s about to come apart, and knows Alex isn’t far behind, when the door to his trailer bangs open. 

 

“Michael are you coming?” Max says and then pauses as he takes in the sight in front of him.  _ What is with his siblings and barging in unannounced?  _

 

Michael and Alex are frozen still, in a weird stare down with Max. 

 

“Well I was,” Michael retorts, which jolts everyone into action. 

 

“Jesus,” Max says and then turns to walk outside and shut the door. Michael can feel Alex slump against him. He pushes Alex’s face out of his neck to get a better look at him. He still hasn’t said anything, but the blush he’s sporting is mighty pretty though.

 

Michael runs his own hand through his hair, “I’m sorry.” 

 

“It’s...okay,” Alex says hesitantly. Michael  _ knows  _ it’s not okay, but Alex is probably still in shock. He doesn't think this is what Alex had in mind when he said he wanted to work through his issues. He might as well rip the band aid off completely.

 

“Max knew already,” Michael says quietly. That has Alex turning his head, almost fast enough to give him whiplash. Michael hates the look of fear in his eyes. He knows that he needs to explain. He wraps his arms around Alex and rubs them up and down his back.

 

“He overheard us at the drive-in and asked me about it tonight when I was over at his place,” Michael rushes out, “I didn’t confirm anything, but he isn’t stupid.”

 

Alex lets out a breath, “Okay.” 

 

“Okay?” Michael asks. He still thinks Alex might be in shock. This is a complete one eighty from yesterday morning.

 

Alex leans down and kisses him. He’s about to pull Alex  _ impossibly  _ closer when Alex pulls back and says, “Yeah. I mean, if he heard us, all this did was confirm it. I know he’s your friend.”

 

Michael nods his head, still processing, “Isobel is too ya know.” 

 

“Yeah. I really am sorry about that,” Alex says, eyes downcast. Michael tilts his chin up and kisses him.

 

“It’s okay. But I don’t think Max has left, and if I had to guess, Isobel is also out there,” Michael says, as he reaches to grab his phone. He winces at the sight of multiple messages from the last couple of hours, from both Max and Isobel. He opens the most recent, and yep, there it is. Max and Isobel asking him if he’s going to come to Isobel’s house. No wonder they showed up here.

 

“I figured,” Alex laughs as he rolls off of Michael to start grabbing his prosthetic and his clothes. He raises an eyebrow in question at Alex, who just smiles in return. Once he sees that Alex is mostly dressed, he grabs his pants and a shirt that he throws on quickly enough to get outside.

 

He isn’t ashamed. And he certainly doesn’t want to hide Alex or how he feels about Alex. But, this has to be Alex’s decision. He grabs onto Alex’s hand as Alex rises from the bed and gives it a squeeze. Alex smiles and closes the remaining distance between them to kiss Michael. When Michael pulls back, Alex laughs and shoves him towards the door.

 

As soon as they step outside, he notices Isobel leaning against her car and Max sitting in one of his lawn chairs. Alex sits in the other chair as Michael sits down on the steps to his trailer.

 

“Sorry for barging in like that,” Max says with a weak smile. Michael can only laugh. Max definitely got an eye-full.

 

“No worries. Should’ve locked the door,” Michael says.

 

“You think?” Max jokes.

 

“That was my fault,” Alex says, “We’ll be more careful next time.”

 

“Next time?” Michael asks, hopeful.

 

He sees Alex nod and smile at him. He can’t help the butterflies that appear in his stomach. 

 

“Ugh...honestly, I knew you’d be gross like this,” Isobel says in her dramatic fashion. Alex looks shocked, while Max is snickering.

 

“Gross?” Michael questions.

 

“Yeah..you know. Gross. Adorable. In love,” Isobel says, “All the things we always gave you shit over. Should’ve known.” Michael smiles and he hears Alex release a breath. Max is full on laughing now, so Michael decides to have a  _ little _ fun. He focuses his powers, and tips Max’s chair over, which Max promptly falls out of. That has everyone laughing while Max glares at him. He shrugs. 

 

“Wait..did you say  _ in love _ ?” Alex asks Isobel as he looks at Michael. Michael’s breath catches. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Max dusting himself off and Isobel smiling, but he waits for her to answer.

 

“Yes, you think he’d look like that at anyone? I don’t know how we didn’t notice before. Honestly,” Isobel says and shakes her head. He shrugs and sees Alex shrug in return. They’re both smiling at each other, eyes shining with the love Isobel mentioned, but neither able to voice those feelings yet. 

 

The moment is effectively broken by Max, “Dammit, my sunglasses broke!” 

 

Michael can’t help it, he laughs, loudly. Almost falling off the steps himself. Isobel and Alex joining in, while Max glares at them. Serves him right. Not only did he barge in on them, but he caused a town-wide blackout. Something they very much still have to deal with. But, as he looks around, he can’t help but think how lucky he is. The three people he loves most on this planet are here with him. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username.


End file.
